Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
High calcium levels linked to stomach pythiosis in a dog
By LeBlanc, Casey J et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2008·Department of Pathobiology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hypercalcemia associated with gastric pythiosis in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 20-month-old male Labrador Retriever was brought to the vet after experiencing three months of not eating, losing weight, and vomiting. Blood tests showed high calcium levels and other abnormalities, while an ultrasound revealed thickening of the stomach wall and swollen lymph nodes. A sample taken from the stomach showed signs of infection from a fungus called Pythium insidiosum, leading to a diagnosis of gastric pythiosis. The dog underwent surgery to remove the infected part of the stomach, and afterward, his calcium levels returned to normal, indicating a successful treatment.
People also search for: dog vomiting and weight loss · Labrador hypercalcemia treatment · gastric pythiosis in dogs
Abstract
A 20-month-old castrated male Labrador Retriever with a 3-month history of anorexia, weight loss, and vomiting was evaluated. Plasma biochemical abnormalities included marked hyperglobulinemia and hypercalcemia. Serum levels of parathyroid hormone, parathyroid hormone-related protein, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D were either low or within reference intervals. Gastric wall thickening and abdominal lymphadenomegaly were observed with abdominal ultrasonography. Cytologic evaluation of a sample obtained via fine-needle aspiration of the gastric wall revealed pyogranulomatous inflammation and numerous poorly stained hyphae. Partial gastrectomy was performed, and a diagnosis of gastric pythiosis was made by immunohistochemical staining of infected gastric tissue, as well as by immunoblot serology. This case demonstrates that diagnostic samples for cytologic evaluation can be obtained by fine-needle aspiration of Pythium insidiosum-infected tissues and that a presumptive diagnosis can be made by examination of a Romanowsky-stained smear. Furthermore, pythiosis should be considered as a differential diagnosis for hypercalcemia, especially in young dogs with inflammatory lesions that have a granulomatous component. The mechanism for the hypercalcemia in this dog was not determined; however, calcium concentrations normalized after surgical resection of the gastric lesion.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18366554/